Earlier in April 2017, VSB President Michael Robinson appointed a 13-member panel, with Virginia Court of Appeals Judge Robert J. Humphreys as chair, to revisit the very contentious issue of criminal discovery reform. VACDL Past President and current Board Member, Doug Ramseur, was selected for the panel. Doug also served on former Chief Justice Kinser's "Special Committee on Criminal Discovery Rules" and was instrumental in the drafting of the committee's report, which was unfortunately not taken up (and basically dismissed) by the Virginia Supreme Court.

We are pleased that 3 other VACDL members are also on the Discovery Reform Task Force: Jim Broccoletti of Norfolk, John Lichentstein of Roanoke, and Ed Riley of Richmond. Our organization, and the criminal defense community, will be well-represented by these long-standing VACDL members!

On December 6, 2016, NACDL (with the Charles Koch Institute) hosted an event titled "A Conversation on Criminal Justice in the Commonwealth" in Richmond. The event featured three panel discussions: Criminal Justice Reform in the Commonwealth: Navigating a Path Forward, Discovery Reform: A Necessary Demand for Justice?, andIdentifying Opportunities for Successful Re-Entry.

Current Board Member and former VACDL President Doug Ramseur was a panelist for the second section, on Discovery Reform, along with Sen. Bill Stanley. Doug masterfully presented a case for reform, and outlined the past efforts to pursue changes to the discovery rules. The discussion was lively, the audience was engaged, and I know I was not alone in feeling that we might make some headway towards discovery reform after Senator Stanley's remarks.

In light of the interest level in this issue, NACDL is hosting a follow-up event: Discovery Reform: An Advocacy Briefing to Engage the Community in Virginia on Saturday, February 4, 2017, 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., at Gethsemane Community Fellowship Baptist Church, 1317 E. Brambleton Avenue, Norfolk, VA 23504.

VACDL members are strongly encouraged to attend. Please contact me (Danielle) at vacdlawyers@gmail.com for more information or a copy of the event flier.